METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND RELATED ARCHITECTURES FOR MANAGING NETWORK CONNECTED THERMOSTATS

• US 20150057814A1
• Filed: 08/26/2014
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Mighdoll, Lee, Fadell, Anthony M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,279,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/278
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 5/12 using heat pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/61 using timers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/00 Data switching networks interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units G06F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 : involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/13 : Hot air central heating systems using heat pumps

Abstract

A thermostat management system facilitates an automatic pairing of a thermostat with a thermostat communication account. The thermostat management system receives a public network address associated with a computer device on a private network accessing the thermostat management account. The system retrieves the thermostat metadata including a public network address associated with a registration of the thermostat with the thermostat management system. The public network address registered with the thermostat metadata is provided by a router on the private network and therefore should match the public network address used by computer devices on the private network. The thermostat management account is paired with the thermostat if the thermostat has the same public network address as the computer device accessing the thermostat management account. Pairing the thermostat management account to the thermostat allows the thermostat management account to communicate with the thermostat over the public network through the thermostat management system.

Claims

1. A thermostat management system that manages a plurality of thermostats on a network using one or more computers, comprising:

a registration server configured to execute on the one or more computers that receives thermostat metadata associated with a thermostat over a public network portion of the network and provisions an entry in a thermostat registration pool referenced by thermostat metadata that includes a thermostat identifier and a public network address associated with the thermostat awaiting to be paired with a thermostat management account;

an update server configured to execute on the one or more computers that attempts to update software and firmware and configurations of each of the thermostats registered with the registration server if newer versions of software exists than currently used on each of the thermostats corresponding to each entry in the registration pool;

a pairing server configured to execute on the one or more computers that facilitates associating a thermostat with a thermostat management account and authorizes communication with the thermostat using the thermostat management account;

a thermostat front end user-interface server configured to execute on the one or more computers that facilitates generation of a user-interface for accessing one or more thermostats from a computer device accessing the thermostat management account on the system; and

a thermostat backend server configured to execute on the one or more computers that manages access to data related to thermostats registered with the thermostat management system and organizes information received over the network related to heating and cooling of enclosures as controlled by the registered thermostats.